Coyote Tales

One afternoon after hearing my son Noah sing with the Tucson Boys Chorus in the cool Catalinas, I decided to hike down to Sabino Canoyon. Since this was August and the trail was largely washed out from monsoons and the afternoon sun on the north slopes of the Catalinas was hot and unforgiving, my idea may not have been the best! Nonethelss hike down I did, and late in the aftenoon in the inner valley lost my water (it was in a milk jug and fell out of the backback, emptying on the ground) and jumped over a snake in the trail! After the sun fell and the night stars came out on a moonless night, I kept walking up the rocky trail to the 2nd ridge. Every rock and root in the trail looked like a snake! There was barely any light at all from the stars. Finally I crested the top and went ended up in the tram turn-around at the end of the Sabino nature-road. As I sat on the rock wall resting, I heard a rattler near by buzzing a warning.
After resting I continued down the road, noticing eyes peering out of the bushes. The water in the stream was running full. I became aware that a coyote was pacing me about an arm's length away to my right! Somewhat frightened, I tried to appear unconcenrned and kept walking! I figuered that in August with the stream running full the coyote was probably just curious about PB! A nyway, he and a few others that joined walked me nicely almost all the way out of the canyon (about 5 miles!!!). That was the night I felt truly like a WILD THING, especially after drinking some tasty stream water!!!
-PB